Kaitlin Arnold's update

Hello from Punta Gorda, Toledo, Belize! This is Kaitlin Arnold writing this here at the Boneville Cafe, in dowtown Punta Gorda. We just spent the morning doing an awesome scavenger hunt, similiar to the "Amazing Race". We split up into groups and had to complete various tasks such as trying a new fruit from the market, buying fresh fish ( still jumping around on the table! ) and having it skinned, walking over a mile to catch the local bus into the city to go complete even more tasks. This has been such a fun, but tiring, day! Our entire group has really just immersed ourselves into the Belizian culture...we're learning so many new things and having so many new experiences to last a lifetime!

Last night we had an incredible opportunity to eat a meal with a Mayan family out in "The Bush". These people live in thatch one-room huts with dirt floors, very similiar to what you would see in a school textbook actually! It almost feels like we've stepped back in time this week, the way the people live and work...it's so fascinating! Anyways, the meal in the Mayan home was such a treat...this is a very shy culture, not very used to outsiders- it was a huge deal to have Americans come eat in their home. They all used to their best dishes, which were plastic with some kind of painting/design on them. While we ate some very, very unusual food ( a few of us woke up sick this morning due to our dinner last night...we're all doing well though, just be praying that their stomachs get to feeling better :) The families all stood behind us while we ate, anxious to see what we thought.

I think my favorite part of the mission trip so far has been working with the school children. Each day we travel out to a different school way out in the jungle. Most of these people have never seen Americans, so we were very intriguing to them. We all have different stations that the children visit, such as playing sports, face painting and singing songs. My group is in charge of making the salvation bracelets. I love doing this, the children's faces are just priceless as I share with them the Gospel...Two days ago I was speaking to a large group of 5th-7th graders. I was telling them about Christ and what the beads on the bracelets symbolize when the teacher comes over to me and says, "Go in depth! Please, share with these children how Christ has changed your life...give them substance! They need this, they never hear this! Tell them more!" It caught me off guard, I wasn't prepared to share with them in depth about the gospel. But I prayed, and the Holy Spirit completely intervened. I didn't even think about what I was saying, the words were just flowing out of my mouth and I was stunned! The Holy Spirit was being my strength and providing just the rights things to say... I saw this one girl around 12 years old fervently writing down everything I said in a little tattered notebook... I recognized the look on her face, it was the look of thirsting for more...thirsting for the Living Water. Seeing that made it all worth it. I knew all the sweat we've sweated, all the bugs we've swatted, all the cold showers, countless meals of beans and rice- worth it. Every penny, this trip has been worth it. I can feel we're making a difference for Christ, and what an indescribable feeling that is!

We're leaving in a few minutes to go work with another school here in the city. But if you could continue praying for our team, for unity, for patience with one another; but most importantly for the people we are coming in contact with, that the Lord would continue preparing their hearts for the message we have to share with them because God is doing some AMAZING things here in Belize and I can't wait for all of us to share with you about our personal experiences here.

God is SO good!

~Kaitlin Arnold